First-year Wolf Pack baseball coach Jay Johnson is hitting the Las Vegas area hard on the recruiting trail and he pulled in two talented prospects out of powerhouse Bishop Gorman over the weekend.

Johnson, who took over Nevada’s program last month, received verbal commitments from center fielder Cole Krzmarzick and catcher Michael Blasko on Sunday. Both will join the team in 2014-15.

Shortly after getting the Nevada job, Johnson added Las Vegas-area pitcher Evan McMahan, who played for Arbor View High last year and will join Nevada this upcoming season.

Johnson inherited a roster with zero Southern Nevada players, but he’s quickly tried to build a pipeline to Las Vegas, an area he hit hard while an assistant coach at the University of San Diego.

“Talking with Coach Johnson, he said that Vegas is kind of a gold mine,” said Blasko, who has helped Gorman to three state titles. “Not a lot of college coaches recruit the area because they just want to stay in-state, but there are a lot of good players down here. He’s looking for those diamonds in the rough.”

Wolf Pack baseball coach Jay Johnson has reeled in three recruits from Las Vegas in his month on the job. (Andy Barron/RGJ file)

Blasko, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound catcher, hit .451 with five home runs and 50 RBIs last season. A two-time all-state honoree, Blasko has been on varsity since his freshman year, when he hit .435. As a sophomore, he hit .523 and was named All-American for his class. He also had offers from Air Force, BYU and UNLV.

Krzmarzick, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound outfielder, had offers from BYU, Utah and UC Santa Barbara. He also was being recruited by UNLV and San Diego, which is how he had a relationship with Johnson.

“When he got the job in Nevada, I think I was the first one he called and we were really excited about Nevada from there,” Krzmarzick said. “He’s definitely one of the best hitting coaches in the nation.”

Krzmarzick hit .451 last season with 58 runs scored and 38 RBIs. He had four homers, 10 doubles, eight triples and stole 12 bases. Krzmarzick talked to former Gorman standout Paul Sewald, who played under Johnson for four seasons at USD, and Sewald helped sell him on playing for Johnson.

“He loved his leadership and said he was the coolest coach ever and that he would take the program in the right direction,” Krzmarzick said. “He texted me today and is really happy I’m going to Nevada.”

Verbal commitments are not binding. Krzmarzick and Blasko can sign their binding letter-of-intent in mid-November. Both said their commitments to Nevada were firm.

Krzmarzick and Blasko both committed after an in-home visit by Johnson last week. Neither has taken an official visit to Nevada’s campus, although both played at Peccole Park during the Nevada state championship in their sophomore seasons at Bishop Gorman.

About this blog

Longtime RGJ Media reporter Dan Hinxman is the authority on Wolf Pack athletics, bringing you the day-to-day coverage of Nevada’s sports teams. Dan has covered almost everything the Northern Nevada sports scene has to offer and will use his knowledge to bring you authoritative and engaging Wolf Pack content. Follow him on Twitter at @DanHinxmanRGJ.